Closure for bottles, jars, &amp;c.



F. M. BUDLONG. CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES, JARS, &o. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10,1909.

b10333? Patented July 14,1914

a" if WITNESSES INVENTOR Eran ,ZAE YZW I ms NORRIS PETERS cm,WASHINGTON, n. c

UNITED sTArEs PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANK M. BUDLONG, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-THIRD TO JOHNM. CURRAGH, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

oLosunn ron BOTTLES, JARS, &c. r

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14., 1914.

Application filed August 10, 1909. Serial No. 512,183.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. BrmLoNG, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClosures for Bottles, Jars, &c., and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a closure for bottles, jars,and the like, which while extremely simple and inexpensive and easilyapplied and removed, will constitute an efficient obstacle to the re-useof the bottle or receptacle, and to this end my invention consists inthe closure having the characteristics of construction and usesubstantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of aportion of the neck of a bottle and a closure therefor separated fromeach other embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of thesame combined; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing cement as the closurelocking means.

In the form in which I prefer to embody my invention, it is employed inconnection with or supplementary to an ordinary cork 10 which isinserted as usual in the mouth of the bottle neck 11. Adapted to overliethe outer end of the cork 10 is a guard or seal 12 of such form aseither to wholly or partially prevent access to the cork 10, and on itsedge at one or more points, said guard or seal has a stem-likeprojection or extension 13, adapted to enter and fit a longitudinallyextending channel or pocket 14 formed in an enlargement on the side ofthe bottle neck. In the side wall of the pocket or channel is formed anotch or cavity 15 having an abrupt shoulder 16, and

in the contiguous side of the stem there is a similar notch or cavity 17having an ab-' rupt shoulder 18, the two notches or cavities beingopposite each other when the stem is inserted entirely into its pocket.If more than one stem is employed, all or any number of them and thecorresponding pockets may be provided with said cavities or recesses.The purpose of the cavities or recesses 15 and 17 is to afford means oflocking the stem 111 its chamber or channel, and

asuitable locking device 19 for this purpose may consist of a simplepiece of spring wire or metal doubled or bent upon itself, so that itsfree ends cross and provide tongues to engage the abrupt shoulders ofthe respective notches or cavities. Whatever the form of the lockingmeans, it should be such as to enable the ready insertion of the steminto its chamber or channel, and automatically lock therewith andprevent the subsequent withdraw-a1 of the stem.

The guard or seal may be of glass or other fragile or frangiblematerial, and preferably at or near the point of connection of the stemor stems and the body thereof, the device is rendered weaker or morefragile than at any other point, so that in removing the guard or seal,preliminary to giving access to the contents of the bottle orreceptacle, the device will break at such point and leave practicallythe whole of the stem locked in its channel or chamber. After thisoperation, it will be evident that the presence of the broken stem willshow that there has already been access to the contents of the bottle,and thus evidence afforded of the re use of the bottle. The fragment orbroken piece of stem could only be Wholly removed by breaking throughthe wall of the enlargement containing it, so that if the stem should beremoved, the condition of the bottle neck would afford evidence that thebottle had once been used.

It will be evident that the part which I have termed the guard or sealmay in itself constitute the entire closure of the bottle or receptacle.

Preferably the plane of the top of the bottle neck when the guard orseal is in place is as high or slightly higher than the plane of the topof the body of the seal to protect the latter from accidental breakage.The protecting wall which is thus formed is also useful in that anysharp edges or projections at the top of the broken stem will beguardedso that one handling cut or scratched by sharp edges on the stem.

As shown in Fig. 3, instead of the spring locking device 19, I may usecement 191 as the locking device, the cement that I use being acid andheat-proof, and cheaper than the spring.

the bottle does not incur the risk of being Ina bottle, the combinationof a closure comprising a member extending across the 5- bottle openingand having a stem projecting her in the bottle wall, the locked portionof the stem being Wholly Within the chamber, 1

the bottle having around itsmouth an up- 10 ard projection reaching to aplane not lower than the top of the stem when the member that extendsacross the mouth of the bottle is broken from the stem said member andsaid stem being integral and of frangible material, whereby the saidmem-15 her may readily be broken from the stem leaving the stem attached tothe bottle. into and permanently locked within a cham- In testimonywhereof I afiiX my signature 1n presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK M. BUDLONG; Witnesses:

J. M. CURRAGH, A. T. GRIFFIN.

Copies of this patent'may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. v

